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ACC football will stay at eight-game league schedules

Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (1) runs by the tackle of Duke cornerback Ross Cockrell (6) during the third quarter of the 2013 ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium.(Photo: Jeremy Brevard, USA TODAY Sports)

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — In a decision that runs parallel to the scheduling standards adopted by the Southeastern Conference last month, Atlantic Coast Conference athletics directors voted Monday at their spring meetings to stay with an 8-game league football schedule rather than go to nine games.

ACC programs will be required beginning in 2017 to play an out-of-conference game against a member of the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 or Pac-12, also mimicking the standard set by the SEC.

"Our league, football-wise, is at a very good place coming off last season with a lot of momentum and our schools have discussed this at great length over the last year or two," commissioner John Swofford said. "You could see some consistency in the discussion and where this was probably leading."

Notre Dame, whose scheduling agreement with the ACC kicks in this fall, will count toward the power conference requirement, Swofford said. Under the agreement, the Fighting Irish will play five games against ACC opponents each year.

Swofford said there had not yet been any discussion about whether independent BYU would count toward the requirement but said the Cougars would be discussed at a future date along with Army and Navy.

Some coaches in the Pac-12 Conference, including Stanford's David Shaw, were critical of the SEC's decision to stay with an eight-game slate, saying that all the power leagues should be on equal footing heading into the College Football Playoff. The Pac 12 and Big 12 are already at nine, and the Big Ten will be there by 2016.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, however, said he didn't agree with the notion that the Pac-12 playing nine conference games was automatically tougher than the ACC playing eight.

"I don't buy that. It depends on who you schedule non-conference," Fisher said. "You're telling me us playing eight conference games and playing Florida, Oklahoma State and Notre Dame isn't tougher than them playing nine? I think it frees you up to go play an Oklahoma State (in this year's season opener); I think it allows you to expand your brand name as a conference. You can be more versatile in what you're doing."

Like the SEC, the ACC decided it will continue allowing members to schedule games against Football Championship Subdivision opponents.